In England, a property chain is a set of linked home sales and purchases in which the seller of one property is also the buyer of another. Because each move depends on the next, a delay at any link can hold up everyone's exchange of contracts and completion dates.
GOV.UK's home-buying guide defines it as "linked property transactions, where a seller of one property is a buyer of another".
Where you sit in the chain
A buyer with nothing to sell, such as a first-time buyer, is at the bottom; a seller who isn't buying is at the top. If you're selling one home and buying another, you're in the middle. Wherever you sit, a delay elsewhere in the chain can still move your dates.
Why chains slow a move
GOV.UK says "Selling a home takes about 5 months on average. The process can take longer if you're part of a chain of buyers and sellers." On completion day, delays to money reaching the seller are "more common in long chains", and then "you may not get access to your new home when expected".
Storing your things while a chain moves
- No end date needed: "2 weeks is our minimum term". After that, you stay until you give written notice, normally 14 days, and you can give notice during the minimum period; ask us which email address to send it to. See notice period.
- Price: the median (middle value) of the listed prices on our September 2026 price lists is about £78 per four weeks for 25 sq ft and about £143 for 50 sq ft; prices vary by site and floor (25 sq ft runs from £44 to £188 per four weeks on those lists), before any introductory offer. Nothing is added at checkout: the total in your quote is what you pay, and our prices include VAT.
- Deposit: when you book, you pay a refundable deposit of two weeks' rent at your unit's standard weekly rate, refunded within 21 days of your agreement ending (clause 4). It is separate from the deposit a buyer pays at exchange.
- Leaving: our move-out FAQ refunds "any unused days on your contract after the notice period".
Chain slipped after you gave notice? Clause 41 of our terms lets the ending run differently only if "otherwise agreed in writing by both parties"; our pages don't say whether we will agree a later date, or at what cost. Call 0800 2545585 before your end date to ask.
Related terms: Completion · Exchange of contracts · Bridging storage · Short-term storage
Related questions: Stuck in a property chain: how self storage keeps a move on track · Can I keep my unit longer than I planned, or leave later than my date?